UEFA Conference League first qualifying round, second leg
Linfield (0) vs Stjarnan (2) (Thursday, 7.45pm)
Linfield boss David Healy believes the “support of our fans” may be enough to spur on his side and claim a shock comeback in tonight’s second leg tie, in the first round of qualifying for the Europa Conference League.
The Blues will require a huge effort tonight if their dream of reaching the group stages of the competition is to live on after their 2-0 defeat against Icelandic side Stjarnan at the Samsung Eastadio Stjornuvoller in the first leg matchup last Thursday.
A double strike from key player Emil Atlason – each side of the break – makes Jokull Elisabetarson’s side favourites to progress in the competition, where the winners of tonight’s game will play either Bala Town of Wales of Estonia’s Linnameeskond in the next phase of the tournament.
Healy’s side had the chance to draw level after the first goal, but the usually “Mr. Dependable” Chris Shields could only rattle the crossbar from the penalty spot – after Kyle McClean was upended - and that was as close as the Belfast side got to scoring on the night. Speaking shortly after the opening game, the manager does not feel that this week’s return match is a lost cause.
“We saw enough to believe we can get a second leg result.” He said.
“We will need the vocal support of our fans next week and hopefully a sizable crowd turns out to give us their backing, which means so much to the team, especially on occasions like this. We’ve had many good European nights at Windsor Park.
“Although the mood in the camp was low after the game, we certainly haven’t given this one up.
“We were playing on a difficult synthetic surface, which (Stjarnan) are used to, so hopefully we can produce a good reaction on the Windsor Park surface.” He continued.
“We’ll be a further week into our new season preparations, our fitness levels will be better. We must believe we can turn the tie around at Windsor Park.
“Hopefully we’ll have one or two players closer to a return.”
With only two pre-season games prior to last week’s fixtures, questions may be asked with regard to the strategy of preparation going into such a tough game against a side which is halfway through their domestic campaign.
However, Blues’ fans will know that their side still has a puncher’s chance this evening. With the likes of McClean, Joel Cooper and Chris McKee in attack, there are certainly goals to be had and don’t be surprised if they manage to snatch a place in the second round.